1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel N-substituted amino acid derivatives, and their production and use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known substances which have a chemical structure similar to that of the compounds of this invention. For example, J. Org. Chem., 25, 728 (1960) discloses that N-monosubstituted glycinates have a protective activity against tomato Fusarium wilt.
Further, British Pat. No. 1,048,507 discloses that the N-monosubstituted glycinates have a protective activity against several crop diseases.
However, when such compounds are used in soil treatment procedures against such diseases, the growth of desirable crops is inhibited and marked phytotoxicity appears. Therefore, the prevention of soil-borne plant diseases by the use of such compounds in soil treatments is difficult because marked phytotoxicity to desirable crops is simultaneously caused.
In general, it is difficult to protect agricultural crops against plant pathogens which live in the soil. Soil pathogens live deep in the soil and can withstand environmental changes so that it is not easy to eliminate such microorganisms with pesticides. Further, environmental pollution caused by agricultural chemicals has recently become a serious problem, and therefore, chemicals which are non-toxic to mammals and fish and which do not remain in crops and soil are desired. Several kinds of soil fungicides are now on the market and in use, but some of them are poor in a protective activity and others have high toxicity to mammals. It can safely be said that a completely satisfactory soil fungicide is not yet available on the market.